Off-duty LA County firefighter killed in Santa Clarita crash

An off-duty Los Angeles County firefighter was killed Wednesday morning after crashing into a Caltrans dump truck on the 14 freeway just south of San Canyon Road in Santa Clarita.

California Highway Patrol says a Caltrans worker was also injured in the incident and was taken to the hospital with moderate injuries

At about 11:15 a.m., the Caltrans vehicle was traveling within the northbound center median as part of a sweeper operation in the area when it was rear-ended by a Jeep SUV, according to CHP.

The SUV driver was taken to the hospital where they were pronounced dead. The LA County Fire Department has identified the victim as LA County Fire Capt. Michael Shepard who lived in Agua Dulce and was off-duty at the time of the crash. Shepard worked at LA County Fire Station #132.

The crash shut down two traffic lanes on the 14 freeway for several hours with Caltrans tweeting they don't expect to reopen the roadway until 9 p.m. Wednesday.

The investigation is ongoing.